


A Sentimental Riddler

by stacnmad



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 03:06:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9696977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stacnmad/pseuds/stacnmad
Summary: Edward Nygma has never been a sentimentalist. Right?





	

**Author's Note:**

> The title is such a cop out I applogize, but I was listening to Wicked, I am so sorry
> 
> Happy Valentines Day!!!

"If I didn't know better, I'd accuse you of being a sentimentalist."  
"Guilty!"

Edward Nygma remembered this bit of one of his many conversations with Mr. Oswald Cobblepot very clearly. He was beginning to find himself on the other side of that particular conversation as he read the front page of the February 13th morning edition of the Gotham Gazette. Edward sat curled in his preferred armchair, clutching the newspaper, and still wearing the forest green sweater and the tan-colored khakis that he had been in the night before. At least he finally knew why Oswald hadn't been in the Van Dahl mansion when he had shown up for dinner last night. At least he knew why everything, from the empty rooms to the way his voice echoed throughout them, felt wrong. 'Infamous "Penguin" Behind Bars', the headline read. He could feel his blood begin to boil and he kept adjusting his glasses to make sure that he wasn't seeing things as he further perused the article. 

"Oswald Cobblepot, a criminal known to many as simply 'The Penguin', was arrested last night by the esteemed Detective Gordon." Jim Gordon. The name summoned feelings of disgust and regret, due to Ed's history with the policeman. "He is being held at the Gotham Police Station on several counts, none of which have been revealed to the public by the Gotham City Police Department at this time. Mr. Cobblepot is known to be a prominent figure in Gotham underground, and it can be expected that his arrest will have some impact on-"

Ed stopped reading the article, and placed the newspaper on the rather ornate side table beside his chair before he could throw it into the fire. He stared at a scuffed spot on the wooden floor and let his mind wander. 

There was no question as to Oswald's guilt. Ed knew he was guilty, but he didn't care about that. Oswald was practically a criminal underworld god, so he was going to commit crime. The real question was how he had gotten caught. Oswald was brilliant. Oswald was supposed to be brilliant, and he wouldn't just walk into the hands of the police like that. He wouldn't just walk away from Ed like that. Would he? Would Oswald abandon him like this; would Oswald really just up and leave him? He attempted to shake the cloud of thoughts from his head, but his doubts lingered.

After what could've been either several hours or just a few minutes of sitting there in shock, Ed immediately stood up. There was no way Oswald was in the Gotham city jail voluntarily; the man had expressed his distaste for the location and its enterprise several times before. He had to make a plan to free Oswald. He had to break him out of his former place of work: the Gotham City Police Department.  
Ed could technically walk in and ask to visit Oswald, but that wouldn't get them very far when it was time for them to actually leave the police station. He'd have to break in during the night. He still had officer Dougherty's set of keys. He had known they would prove to be extremely useful, but he hadn't known when until now. Now, all he had to do was wait.

Ed obsessively checked the time on the grandfather clock that was situated across the room from his chair. He'd been lulled into a stupor by the back and forth motion of the pendulum and the ticking noise of the mechanics within the clock when he heard the 12 chimes of midnight. It was time to go and rescue Oswald. It was time to rescue his best friend.

As drove along the dark, uncharacteristically empty streets of Gotham, he thought of when Oswald had rescued him. He'd been trapped in Arkham and He'd been surrounded by what seemed like hundreds of lunatics. It'd been painfully easy to manipulate said lunatics, and he knew that he didn't belong there. He was forever grateful to Oswald for getting him out of that wretched place, and it was time for him to finally return that favor.

The building which housed the the police department looked taller and much more ominous in the moonlight than it did during the day. It felt more ominous than the echoes of the empty mansion he'd been in earlier, when he'd been alone and worried about his friend. Ed parked his car, got out, and looked up at the structure; all thoughts of Oswald Cobblepot turning himself in left his mind. He shuddered, and then walked towards the police station, with officer Dougherty's keys in his hand and determination to free Oswald in his mind. 

~•~

Ed entered the police station, noticing how his footsteps echoed around the bullpen, from which there was almost no movement from except for the rustling coming from one of the cells in the center.  
While Ed hadn't expected Oswald to be cowering in the corner, he hadn't expected Oswald to be standing at the bars and holding onto them, looking rather expectant and...excited?

"Ed! It's so nice to see you!" Oswald said with a grin. He was looking dapper, as always, opting for a deep purple Victorian tailcoat suit paired with a matching cravat.

"Mr. Penguin, Oswald, sir.." Ed stammered, rather confused as to why his friend, who normally despised the GCPD, was so happy to be locked up. It didn't make any sense. He rushed to him, making sure that he hadn't gotten hurt. "Oswald, are you okay? Did they do something to you? Did..." Ed felt a sour taste rise in his throat at his next thought. "Did Jim Gordon harm-"

"I've been waiting for you. I...well, I knew you'd come." Oswald interrupted. He almost seemed...smug, which served to further confuse Edward. "You see...well, come in. Sit. I'll tell you why I got myself arrested and put into a jail cell in this coincidentally empty GCPD building, knowing that you'd be here on this very special day to rescue me." Edward couldn't help but notice that Oswald's light, watery bluegreen eyes were twinkling in the moonlight that filtered through the large front window, like they did when he knew something no one else knew.

"Special day...Oh!" Ed started with a bit of a manic jump, suddenly realizing that it wasn't February 13th any longer, since it was past midnight. "What has the potential to destroy you and leave you senseless, yet fulfill you and leave you breathless?" Ed gestured wildly and then waited a few moments, mostly for effect, before giving the answer to his riddle. "Love! It's February 14th. It's Valentine's Day! Did you know that Valentine's Day is actually named after-" 

"Ed...you know I'm a big fan of your riddles, but I want you to open this door. I want...I need to tell you why I'm- why we're here." Oswald said, rather impatiently, while he was motioning towards the set of keys that were still clutched in Ed's hand. Edward noted the lack of composure in his voice, and marked it up to the fact that they were in a prison, even though Oswald had apparently put himself here on purpose.

"Oh, of course." Ed continued on to try several of the keys before finding the one that actually locked and unlocked cells. "So, what do you need to tell me? You really didn't have to get yourself arrested to tell me something, Oswald. We could've talked over dinner, or something of the sort." 

"Oh, Edward..you know how I love a grand gesture. Now, sit. Please." He walked in his penguin-like way across the tiny, cramped space towards the small bench that was in every GCPD cell. He sat down and patted the seat left of him, indicating to Ed where he should sit. Ed quickly dashed over to the bench and apprehensively sat down, partly because he was nervous and paranoid that the entire police department would jump out at them and partly because he had no idea what Oswald was about to say. "Now..." Oswald began, clearing his throat. "We are sitting in this cold, damp, and frankly disgusting cell because...well, I have something to tell you. I thought I'd tell you today, because..." He took a breath as if steeling himself for a great pain. "I'm in love, well...I love you." 

He looked at Ed with a slightly more nervous look than was on his face when he first saw him a few minutes ago.  
Ed burst out laughing. It was an elaborate joke, one that had caused him great worry for his friends personal safety, but there was no way that Oswald could love him. Who could possibly love him? "Oh, Oswald, Mr. Cobblepot, sir, you know I'm one for jokes, but..." Edward Nygma's laughter immediately ceased when he realized that his friend was not laughing along with him, and realization dawned in his mind. "Oh... Oswald, you really do love me, don't you...oh dear, oh dear, I'm so sorry, I've really mucked things up-"

"It's fine, Ed." Oswald was trying to sound confident in the face of rejection, but Ed, even though he wasn't the best with emotions, could tell he was upset. He could see the tears in his friends eyes, and he would've had to been blind to be unaware of his friend's heartbroken expression. "It's obvious that you don't return my feelings, so we'll just pretend that this..that this entire thing just never happened."

Ed struggled to think of the right thing to say to mend this situation. He'd always been awful with feelings and knowing what to say and how to say things, and this moment was no exception. He deeply cared for Oswald, and he knew that was largely the reason he'd even thought of coming back to this horrible place at all. He rescued Oswald because he cared for him, and Oswald was one of the first people he'd ever truly cared about. 

Oswald was one of the first people he had ever thought of...loving. Ed wasn't going to lie to himself, because he knew he'd thought of Oswald in this way before. Before, he quietly dismissed these feelings without a second thought, but he couldn't ignore the onslaught of memories of these feelings that were flooding in. He realized that he had thought of being more than what they were. He'd thought of being more than friends with Oswald; he'd thought of being more than best friends. He'd thought of him in that way when he looked at Oswald across the table when it was just the two of them in the small, cramped apartment that had been Ed's former place of residence. He'd thought of his friend in that way when he looked at the glee in his eyes as they'd tortured and eventually killed poor Mr. Leonard. He'd thought of Oswald in that way when he looked across the table at him. It had still just been the two of them in that large, spacious mansion that Ed was just beginning to call home. Ed had cared for Oswald when he was sad, when he was happy, and when he was powerful. He realized that his friend had put himself in a position of helplessness and powerlessness to test that care, to test those feelings he must've known that they both had, even if Ed hadn't acknowledged those feelings himself. He must've wanted to see how Ed would respond. Right now, Ed had the distinct feeling that he was failing the test. 

Ed glanced over to Oswald, who appeared to be trying not to sob. He scooted closer to his friend, and the cold, cramped cell seemed to warm up ten degrees. "Oswald..." Ed whispered, turning his friend's head towards himself with a touch of the fingers on his left hand. Looking into Oswald's gorgeous eyes, Ed realized that he would never find the words to say in that moment, and that that was okay.

His kiss on Oswald's lips was chaste, soft, and romantic. Ed could feel the soft touch of the others slightly chapped lips stay still at first, as the other was most likely stunned. He felt a bit of satisfaction at the fact that he could surprise Oswald and he felt significant thrill when those same chapped lips started moving in languid motions against his own. He brought his right hand up to Oswald's other cheek to cup his jaw, loving the way his skin felt soft against his own hand. Ed's glasses got in the way once or twice, and their noses bumped a few times, but overall, due to the incomparable nuances of a first kiss, their first kiss was one of the most perfect kisses they would ever share. When they eventually pulled apart, they spent a long time looking into each other's eyes, with all of their thoughts focused on the other. 

"Well, Ed, I suppose that you do, in fact, have feelings for me." Oswald said, almost giddily.

"Why, yes, Oswald, I suppose that I do. Now, let's go back to the- let's go.." Edward spoke again with careful deliberation. "..home. We've got Valentine's Day to celebrate!" He smiled coyly, stood up, and offered his hand as an escort. Oswald mirrored his smile with a softer variety of his own, stood up next to Ed, and took him by the arm.

They were almost out the door when a brilliant idea for a taunting riddle popped into Ed's brain. "Wait in the car, Oswald, I've got to... take care of something before we leave." 

"Do hurry, Ed. There is always work to be done." Oswald smirked, certainly not meaning work in a traditional sense. He then pressed a quick kiss to Ed's cheek, with the same mischievous twinkle in his eye that had been there earlier. 

As soon as Ed saw that his..more than friend (He was unsure of what they were at that moment, although he hated to admit that he was unsure of anything) was sat safely in the passenger seat of his car, he ran to the nearest desk in the bullpen and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. He quickly wrote the riddle he'd come up with, and placed it in Oswald's now-empty cell along with officer Dougherty's keys as an extra jab towards the general incompetence of the police force. He walked back to the car, got in and sat in his seat, then started and revved the engine. He began the drive to get the both of them to a much more pleasant place: the Van Dahl mansion. Their home.

"So, off we go then. A knight in shining armor..." Oswald played with a loose thread on the shoulder of Ed's sweater. "..and his prince riding off into the sunset, well, sunrise, at this point. What did you do back there?" Oswald asked, whispering, leaning over towards Ed as far as he could while still remaining seated.

"I'm sure we'll hear about it on the morning news." Ed said. He looked down, feeling something brush against his arm, and saw Oswald grab his hand and intertwine their fingers. Ed gave Oswald's hand a squeeze, and they drove on.

"What is flightless, yet now flies free?" Ed exclaimed, after some time of silence. He wanted Oswald to know what he'd done and what he'd written; he wanted Oswald to know what he'd done in his honor.

"I don't know, Ed, why don't you tell me?" Oswald said, clearly knowing the answer and just wanting to hear Ed say it, or not knowing the answer and wanting to hear the satisfaction in Ed's voice. 

"You fly free, Mr. Penguin... You are flying free." Edward smiled another one of his exceptionally bright smiles, and they drove all the way home to begin their Valentine's Day celebrations.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed thx


End file.
